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Tipping point – UK’s first intelligent home system launched

– first intelligent home system automatically controls heating, lighting &amp; security– integration with Amazon’s Alexa offers unrivalled voice control– ‘joined up tech’ plays and control music on any Sonos speaker in a home– users to enjoy projected 30% fall in energy bills– price plummet – house retrofit now costs same as installing burglar alarm

MANCHESTER, September 2019: The UK’s fledgling smart home market has been given a
boost with the launch of the world’s first intelligent home system, making homes better
connected, safer and cheaper to run.

Wondrwall’s pioneering technology learns and analyses how a home is being used and
independently makes real-time adjustments to the heating, lighting and security of a home based on the inhabitants’ habits and preferences.

“Until now, smart home services have been a series of add-on products from different
manufacturers that offer some degree of remote control functionality through their own app – but in practice it’s hard to get the different services to communicate and work effectively together” said Daniel Burton, founder & CEO of Wondrwall.

“The lack of a fully integrated system means less than a tenth of British homes have a single function such as lighting, heating or security that can be controlled remotely, let alone the whole home, despite the fact that sales of smart home products are rising.”

“Our technology is designed to make your home a better and safer place by giving it the ability to adapt to the way you live. For example, it learns which rooms you spend the most time in – and how you light and heat those rooms – and automatically adjusts the running of your home to make it more efficient, cheaper and secure.”

“Our estimates predict that Wondrwall will cut owners’ energy bills by up to 30%.”

HOW WONDRWALL WORKS
Wondrwall light switches replace standard light switches, with each containing 13 different sensors. They collect data on how a room is used and employ cloud-based machine learning and predictive modelling to determine optimal energy usage.

With inbuilt microphones and speakers, the switches effectively become Amazon Alexa devices, allowing a user to control the running of their home by speech. They also allow access to all of Alexa’s features such as weather forecasts, traffic conditions and Google Calendar events.

The system also includes a thermostat (to control the boiler), a siren (replacing existing security alarms and supplementing other devices such as smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors) and a key fob (to arm and disarm).

“The system is uniquely integrated with Amazon’s Alexa system,” said Daniel Burton. “Direct access to all of Alexa’s features means you can use your voice to instantly change the heating, lighting and security of your home without needing to use an Amazon Echo or Dot.”

WONDRWALL OFFERS FOUR KEY BENEFITS(1) Heating:
Wondrwall learns how long it takes to warm different parts of a home at different times of the day to your ideal temperature. By identifying temperature preferences from past behaviour, it can wake you at your preferred temperature while minimising energy usage.
It also makes real-time adjustments based on your usual routines. If for example you’re running late, the heating will automatically pause until you are nearer home.(2) Lighting:
Wondrwall recognises when a home is unoccupied and turns lights off. When operating in
‘away’ mode, it will turn selected lights on and off to simulate occupancy.(3) Security:
Motion detectors can distinguish between a large pet and a person – if an intruder is detected, the home’s alarm system will activate. If a home is empty and the sound of breaking glass is detected, the alarm activates, internal and external lights flash and an alert message is sent to the owner.
It will also send a message if it thinks a door or window is left open when a house is unattended.(4) Safety:
If Wondrwall identifies the sound of a smoke alarm, it flashes lights inside a home. Each fob has a built-in panic button, allowing users to instantly send an alert to a pre-selected list of contacts.

HOW THE WONDRWALL LIGHT SWITCHES WORK
Each light switch is mains connected and uses ZigBee technology, allowing the system to operate independently of Wi-Fi.
The switches also have Wi-Fi in-built, connecting them to the cloud and the machine learning and predictive modelling platform. Wi-Fi is also used to connect to Amazon’s Alexa system for voice control and use of other Amazon Alexa-connected devices.

VOICE CONTROL
With microphones and speakers built into each unit, light switches effectively become Amazon Alexa devices, granting control to heating, lighting, security and safety via voice. Users can also get updates on the weather, traffic conditions and events on their Google calendar.

MANUAL CONTROL
The iOS and Android mobile apps give full control to the Wondrwall system, allowing the manual functions to be manually over-ridden at any time.

The cost of installing the Wondrwall system into a typical three-bedroom house is now £1,332 – approximately the same cost as a burglar alarm.

“Britain has caught the smart home ‘bug’ and shoppers here are more likely to buy voice control devices than other European consumers,” said Daniel Burton. “This passion for joined up and integrated technology means owners are happy to pay a bit more to have state-of-the-art systems in our homes.”

“They know the right system can save them money while at the same time make their home
safer and more secure.”

cSMART HOME MARKET FIGURES
– the UK is the second most mature market in Europe, with 9% of homes controlled remotely.
– over the last year the number of UK homes with smart speakers has doubled to 10%
– record numbers of people are planning to buy smart home products, with UK consumers more likely to choose devices with voice control than other Europeans.
– the UK market is forecast to grow by nearly 75% over the next two years to $6.94bn globally
it’s predicted to be worth $150bn by 2020.
– over a quarter of British home buyers prefer homes equipped with smart home technology and are willing to pay an additional £3,000 for a suitably equipped home.
– Wondrwall can be installed at any point in the build cycle, even as a retrofit to existing properties.
– a typical three-bedroom house installation would involve eight Wondrwall switches, one siren, one thermostat and two fobs at a cost of approximately £1,332 – around the same cost as a burglar alarm
– preliminary research predicts Wondrwall will cut heating and lighting bills by 30%

ABOUT WONDRWALL
Wondrwall is an Intelligent Living pioneer, giving the home the intelligence to adapt to the needs and desires of the occupants – automatically controlling heating, lighting, security and safety, with voice control technology to override any adjustments at any time.
At the heart of Wondrwall is a focus on energy efficiency and creating more sustainable homes for the future. Learning technology allows for powerful automation of a home’s energy, ensuring that homes are never lit and heated unnecessarily.
Founded in Manchester in 2013, Wondrwall is leading the UK’s intelligent home revolution. Supported by some of the largest technology companies in the world, like Amazon, Tech Data and Flex, Wondrwall is on a mission to change the way people interact with their home.